


Dreams and Paint

by Enzuri



Series: After the Finish Line [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 12:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/811593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enzuri/pseuds/Enzuri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Tavros Nitram and you'd thought there would be nothing worse than moving schools in the middle of the year until now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams and Paint

**Author's Note:**

  * For [berserkerpiemachine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/berserkerpiemachine/gifts).



> For Homoso who is the best Gamzee ever.

Your name is Tavros Nitram and you'd thought there would be nothing worse than moving schools in the middle of the year until now.

It was fine at first, you guys were moving, that was something that happened pretty often but then you went to your first day at school and you knew that this was going to be the worst place you'd ever lived. You'd spent most of the day staring at your fellow classmates, some of them caused such bad bouts of deja vu you were certain you were going crazy. Then when you got home and tried to shake it off you ended up relapsing into these dreams you'd thought you'd left behind you.

They were always so strange. Grey skin, candy coloured horns, danger at every turn, a game you failed to win. Always bits and pieces, never anything solid. The dreams always left you feeling so unsettled, they seemed so real. In them you'd had friends, a purpose. Sure you were still bound to your chair in the dream but one time you'd had a pair of robot legs and it was the best of them. Sometimes you were in a bright place, all gold with tall towers. 

They'd started after your accident. The doctor thought they were just a way to escape from the reality of your situation. He didn't seem to realize how badly they used to scare you. Then as time had gone on the dreams had faded and you'd almost forgotten about them until today. Damnit. The moment you'd seen their faces you knew, you absolutely knew, that they were the same faces that used to populate your dreams. Sure they were various shades instead of that monochrome grey but still it was them. 

That bothered you more than you wanted to admit.

It wasn't until your second week of classes that you managed to find another one of the familiar face of a stranger. Actually it wasn't until after your classes, when you spotted him in the hallway crowd. His face was painted black and white, mimicking harlequin clowns or something. He'd spotted you and stared right back. It was only his bright shirt that made you realize he was actually in one of your classes, English maybe? He was the kid you'd pegged for a stoner, who sat at the back staring at everything like he thought it was astounding how everything worked. Covered in black and white there's no mistaking him though. He waves at you and you give a small wave back before you wheel the other way, taking the long route out.

You find yourself avoiding him even though you don't know why. Your heart does stupid things when he's around, fluttering too fast and too wild against your ribcage and it makes you feel like you can't breath and if you can't breathe then you'll die. Guilt wells up inside you when you see him, the kind of guilt you get from disappointing your family. You don't understand the intensity of it. You don't really know him, you've never said more than one or two words to him but you still can't shake the feeling that you've done something wrong to him.

Now that you're aware of him you realize that he spends a lot of his class with you looking your way. Usually with that same vacant expression that had caused you to label him a stoner but sometimes his eyebrows would be furrowed and he would look lost or hurt. Every time he caught you looking back at him he smiled for you, big and wide and it always made your heart do some sort of a flip in your chest. You did your best to ignore it.

That is until you get partnered up with him for an assignment. Poetry. You'd always been fond of writing poetry but you hated to share your work with anyone and you doubted that this Gamzee would be any good at it. He didn't look like the sort who ever did his homework. Still he seemed pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing, insisting you swap phone numbers to plan out times to work on it together. You're actually really surprised when he texts you to get together after class one day in the library. Who knew that he wouldn't be such a slacker.

"PoEtRy HuH?" He's got the homework sheet out in front of him, looking over what it was you guys actually had to do. He'd been looking at it for ten minutes already. "WeLl I'm AlL fOr SoMe AlTeRnIaN sLaM pOeTrY."

"Alternian?" The word feels heavy and strange on your tongue but something about it sounds so familiar. Is it a technique or something you've heard before? You don't know but it seriously upset the boy sitting at your table with the two of you.

"Gamzee, what the fuck. I told you not to talk about that shit asshole."

"SoRrY bRo, I uP aNd FoRgOt." You know the short boy, he's in another one of your classes. You've seen him around with Gamzee before. You'd avoided him too, he'd caused that unpleasant deja vu and his eyes always seemed so angry and sad. He'd joined the two of you while you were doing the assignment so he could study. 

"What is, uh, alternian?" You hesitate as you ask but your curiosity needs to know.

"It's nothing. This fuckass makes stupid shit up a lot about a world that never fucking existed. Just do your goddamned assignment normally." You wish you hadn't asked.

"BuT kArBrO, yOu ReMeMbEr It ToO."

"Gamzee." His tone is stern and that seems to stop the topic in its place. You guys get on with the assignment but you struggle to keep concentrating the entire time. That night your dreams are more intense than ever and you feel like you're going crazy.

The end of fall is coming on fast and your new town is holding a fair. Your older brother, Rufioh, is taking part in a few of their equestrian competitions and he drags you along to enjoy it with him. You can't go on any of the ride because of your wheelchair but that's okay, you actually really like getting to see all the animals on display but then your brother has to go get ready for his events and you're left all by yourself. You pull out your phone, ready to call your dad to ask for a ride home when you pause, thumb hovering over a different contact.

You don't know why you did it. You texted Gamzee and asked if he knew about the fair, inviting him to join you. For some reason the circus like atmosphere reminds you of him. Probably all the laughter and light but you're not really sure why those things are associated with him. When he gets there a little while later he's wearing the biggest actual smile you've ever seen on his lips. His face paint is a little strange though because in the setting sun's shadows it looks almost like a skull from far away. 

He's really excited to be there, buying the two of you cotton candy and walking around with you to see all the animals and crafts. A few kids stop him at one point, asking if he was a clown and he just smiles and starts juggling some apples that he bought from a nearby stand. The kids are thoroughly impressed and entertained and you have to admit that you are too. There's just something about him that puts you at ease. 

As the festivities are winding down for the night you find the two of you on the outskirts taking in the night sky. He talks about the miracle of it all and you have to agree. Its prettier out here than it ever was in the city. He pauses in the middle of one of his sentences, something you're getting used to, to ask you if you remember anything from before. You have no idea what he's talking about and you tell him so. He frowns but looks like he expected it. Something in those sad eyes splits a seam down your heart and you do the last thing you ever expected yourself to do.

He is sitting on a picnic table bench next to your chair and you reach over and grab his shirt to pull towards you. Your lips are on his in your first kiss before you can stop yourself. You're pretty sure you just crossed some line though so you let go pretty quickly, trying to figure out what excuse to make to blow the whole thing off. 

His hands trap your cheeks and he kisses you back before you have a chance to explain yourself. Suddenly you don't care if you have a chance to explain yourself because all you care about is his mouth on yours.

When the kiss ends Gamzee tells you about his so called made up world and it sounds so much like your dreams it makes your stomach drop. You almost panic about it but then he kisses you again and tells you its time to go home since you both have school the next day. He leaves you with Rufioh who just teases you about the black and white paint smears on your face. At home you have a hard time falling asleep, your mind still thinking about those lips on yours.

You decide that, that was probably the best thing you could have done. 

Sleep is about to claim you when your phone buzzes with an incoming text message from Gamzee himself.

Gamzee: tHaNkS fOr InViTiNg Me OuT bRo, It WaS bItChTiTs.  
Gamzee: oH aNd, MaYbE wE cOuLd MaKe OuT aGaIn SoMeTiMe  
Gamzee: HoNk :o)


End file.
